Reviewing, understanding, and evaluating published research; designing quantitative and qualitative research studies; using basic statistical procedures for analyzing data; writing a research prospectus conforming to APA style guidelines.

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to . . .

Interpret and critically evaluate published research studies in second language teaching.

Use databases to locate and review previously published research on a given topic.

Discuss principles of experimental (quantitative) research design, including ways of maximizing validity and reliability.

Select and use basic statistical procedures for analyzing quantitative data.

Discuss principles of interpretive (qualitative) research design and data analysis.

Write a prospectus for a Master's Thesis study or a Master's Action Research Project appropriate to the graduate level and conforming to APA style guidelines.

SLaT 604

Assessing Language Skills

Credits:

3

Catalog Description:

Purposes and uses of various forms of assessment; development of tests, surveys, questionnaires, and alternative forms of assessment; evaluation of the quality of assessments.

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to . . .

Discuss various forms of assessment and their uses.

Select appropriate assessments for various purposes, skills, levels, and types of learning.

Align assessments with learning objectives and standards.

Write selected-response and constructed-response test items.

Design alternate forms of assessment, including checklists, rubrics, and portfolios.

Construct surveys and questionnaires.

Analyze and interpret the results of assessments.

Evaluate the quality of assessments in terms of validity, reliability, etc.

SLaT 610

Using Media and Technology in Second Language Teaching and Research

Credits:

3

Catalog Description:

Use and application of various types of media and technology appropriate for second language teaching, learning, and research.

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to . . .

Evaluate the use of technologies in second language instruction using an appropriate theoretical framework.

Develop knowledge of and skill using technologies available for second language teaching.

Evaluate the usefulness and quality of research and development on the use of media and technology for language teaching and learning.

Create and implement functional media applications that can be effectively used in a second language classroom.

SLaT 611

Teaching Listening and Speaking Skills

Credits:

3

Catalog Description:

Theory and research on teaching and learning listening and speaking skills; application of professional guidelines on listening and speaking; selection and use of appropriate techniques for teaching and assessing oral skills.

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to . . .

Summarize current theory and research in second language speaking and listening.

Apply professional guidelines, including the Standards for Foreign Language Learning and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines, to the teaching of oral skills.

Discuss the role of grammar instruction and error correction in learning to speak a second language.

Select and sequence materials for teaching and assessing listening comprehension.

Select and use appropriate classroom techniques for teaching and assessing oral skills.

Reflect on themselves as second language speakers and listeners and as teachers of speaking and listening.

SLaT 612

Teaching Reading and Writing Skills

Credits:

3

Catalog Description:

Theory and research on teaching and learning reading and writing skills; application of professional guidelines on reading and writing; selection and use of appropriate techniques for teaching and assessing literacy skills.

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to . . .

Summarize current theory and research in second language reading and writing.

Apply professional guidelines, including the Standards for Foreign Language Learning and the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, to the teaching of literacy skills.

Select appropriate reading materials for a variety of levels.

Develop instructional plans for helping students read specific texts.

Develop writing tasks for different purposes and audiences.

Select and use appropriate techniques for responding to students' writing.

Select and use appropriate techniques for assessing reading and writing skills.

Reflect on their own skills as second language readers and writers.

SLaT 613

Teaching and Learning About Culture

Credits:

3

Catalog Description:

Role of culture in second language courses; current theory and research on culture teaching and learning; techniques for teaching and assessing culture.

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to . . .

Discuss the relationship between language and culture and the role of culture learning in a second language class.

Summarize current theory and research on culture teaching and learning, learning, and assessment.

Discuss various models of culture learning.

Select and use appropriate techniques for helping students learn about the target culture(s) and about their own culture(s).

Evaluate and supplement the cultural content of second language textbooks.

Select and use appropriate techniques for assessing culture learning.

Reflect on themselves as products of a particular culture and as second culture learners and teachers.